What the heck is a submark?

A submark is a secondary logo for use in applications where the original logo doesn’t work as well as you would like. It is based on the original logo in look and feel, therefore consistent with your brand. A submark is generally a simplified version of your logo that can be easily used at smaller sizes. Below is an example of a primary logo and a submark that was created for Afonza during their branding process. 

Why on earth would I need ANOTHER logo?

We use logos on a variety of different media. Most of the time the original brand logo is the best way to go. Every graphic designer you speak to will preach consistency when it comes to your brand. But what happens when you need to size your horizontal logo to fit in a small square? Is it still legible? Are the shapes still visible? Is it still a good, at-a-glance representation of your company? If not, a submark can come in handy. 

Designed to fill a smaller area without losing the overall feel of the original design, a submark has a definite place in your brand toolbox. It may include an abbreviated version of the business name, initials, or just a graphic that represents the company. Often a graphic is pulled from the primary logo to use for this purpose, as seen in the example below for Union Diamond.  

Submarks in Digital Marketing

Whether you like it or not, online and social media marketing is a part of the business world that continues to grow. Sites like Facebook and Instagram have very specific size restrictions for their graphics and you want your logo to look just as good when working within these guidelines. A submark can be a much more effective signifier to use in these applications. 

Submarks in Print Marketing

Smaller print pieces can also benefit from a submark. For example, consider a client with a fairly long business name that needs a small sticker to use in their product packaging. A submark would fit the sticker dimensions and be much more effective. It works with their branding without sacrificing quality and readability. 

If simply sizing down your original logo doesn’t work, a submark is the answer. 

How do I Have a Submark Created?

If you are in the process of having a logo created for your company, your designer should suggest a submark to you during the final stages. If you’re not sure, ask them! Annatto includes submarks in all logo packages unless it’s apparent that one is not necessary. Just like your primary logo, it should be delivered in all appropriate file types. Not sure what file types you should receive? Read more about how Annatto handles this here.

If you already have a solid brand but you need a submark created, a designer can take your established brand elements and create a submark that works with your brand.

Including a Submark in your Style Guide

In addition to including submarks in our logo packages, we also include them in any corresponding style guides that are created. The submark should use the same color palette that has been created for the overall brand, but the size guidelines will differ. A style guide is an important document to have and use as you deploy your brand. It keeps everyone on the same page and ensures that you have consistency throughout your marketing pieces.

Is your brand in need of a submark? Contact Annatto to get one in the works.

Brand consistency is a phrase that you will hear people in our field say again and again. And again. Style guides, color palettes, font families… all of these things make up the “rules” of your look and feel, and they are important to the strength of your brand. As designers, we are trained to consider the brand in relation to any project that we do. Watering down your look by introducing new elements can make your brand less effective and can limit recognition.

Then again, rules are made to be broken… so when is it okay to change your logo? To clarify, I’m not talking about re-branding and creating a new logo for your company – that is a conversation for another time. It is, however, sometimes acceptable to alter your existing logo for a specific purpose. There are several reasons that you might want to do this, but there are also some important considerations that come into play.

A general rule is to focus on small alterations with a significant purpose – in other words, it should make sense. Here is an example: the S.A.F.E. Schools Fund has a logo that is a padlock superhero character. Usually, he is used in entirety in the brand’s warm gray and red palette. However, every year the organization hosts a “woman-less pageant” fundraiser that has become very popular in the community and very significant to their brand. For this event, a modified character—wearing heels, a crown, and a feather boa, of course—is used in place of the original logo for all of the marketing pertaining to this specific event. It remains consistent by using the same proportions and shape as the original logo character, but also has unique elements that set it apart. It is different, but there is a clear link to the overall brand.

Color palettes are a part of the brand that people often want to change, but constantly presenting your logo in a different color can make it look like you don’t have a good feel for your company. If it’s a necessity, be mindful about the change. For example, what if you are embroidering some shirts but your brand colors won’t show up very well on the fabric color? Often a reversed or one-color version is a great solution for this purpose. Remember, the shirt color becomes part of the palette as well – how do they work together? If you wouldn’t use that color in your branding, there’s a good chance that you should re-think the palette.

Before changing your logo, consider what you are trying to accomplish. Would an add-on to your current logo be a viable option? Recently, Xenith Bank created a foundation that needed it’s own identifier. A completely new logo would have distanced the initiative from it’s parent company. Instead, a tagline was added to the original Xenith logo to identify the foundation but still work within the overarching company brand.

Frequency should also be considered. Do you feel the need to change or modify your logo often? Why? To us, this is a red flag that says your current branding may not be the right visual for your company anymore. If that’s the case, an update or even a full re-brand might be in order.

So, yes, sometimes we will give you special designer permission to use an altered version of your logo (GASP!) but—as Spider-Man knows— with great power comes great responsibility. If you can’t verbally and/or visually connect the changes back to your brand, you run the risk of doing more harm than good. In the end, the strength of your overall brand image should matter more than trying to fit in with the latest trend.